1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an audio signal processing system provided with a signal input device transmitting a plurality of respective audio signals inputted from the outside to an audio signal processing device through a plurality of transmission ports and the audio signal processing device provided with a plurality of tracks for recording the audio signals, and also relates to computer readable medium embedding a program containing program instructions executable by a computer and a causing the computer to function as an audio signal processing device which can be included in the audio signal processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various types of DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) applications are known as a program for making a computer such as a PC serve as an audio signal processing device provided with a plurality of tracks for recording audio signals.
Further, a recording of audio signals supplied from an external device is performed on a track realized by the DAW application by connecting a PC activating the DAW application and a signal input device transmitting audio signals from a plurality of ports and inputting the signals into an external device (the PC here).
Incidentally, when an audio signal inputted from an external device is recorded by the DAW application, there is a need to correspond a port receiving the signal to a track used for the recording. However, there are wide variations in hardware of a computer which executes the DAW application, and various types of hardware such as a terminal LSI and an expansion card are also used as input/output interfaces.
When audio waveform data is inputted/outputted, there is a case of using an audio input/output terminal of an LSI on a motherboard, and there is also a case of using a peripheral device provided with an input/output terminal connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers 1394). In the above cases, a name of a port by which a computer receives the audio waveform data becomes a name in accordance with the LSI or the peripheral device providing the audio input/output terminal.
In order to enable to set an input source of waveform data with respect to each track using a fixed name under such a situation, the conventional DAW application is provided with a “virtual bus” function.
This function is a function in which when audio waveform data inputted from an input terminal (which may be a terminal of a peripheral device) is received by any port at the time of inputting data, a bus (virtual bus) is first formed and is connected to the port, and the formed bus is designated to a track used for recording, as an input source of waveform data.
According to this function, a bus which can be formed and freely named by a user can be designated as an input source for a track. Therefore, even when set data of a track prepared in a certain hardware environment is used in another hardware environment, if only a connection between a port and a bus is set in accordance with the hardware environment, the setting of the track can be used without any change being made. Accordingly, by adopting the virtual bus function, it is possible to enhance an applicability and convenience of a system by facilitating a conversion of the set data of the track.
Such a DAW application is disclosed in, for example, the following Document 1.
Document 1: “Cubase (registered trademark) 4 operation manual”, [online], 2007, Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH., [Retrieved on Mar. 11, 2008] Internet <URL: http://www.steinberg.net/1172_0.html>